Explanations
1. A
The activation energy is the energy that must be overcome
for the reaction to proceed. Also remember that for a reaction to
occur, the collisions between molecules must be sufficiently energetic
and of the proper geometric orientation.
2. C
The energy change for the overall reaction
is simply the difference between the energies of the products and
reactants, and this is indicated by the letter C on
the diagram.
3. T, T
(Fill in CE.) The energy change indicated
by A on the diagram represents the activation energy
of the reaction—the energy investment required to form the activated
complex Y, also known as the energy that must be
put into the system to make the reaction go. B on
the diagram represents the energy released when the unstable transition
state molecule Y goes to a lower energy state as
the products Z. The reaction is exothermic when
the energy payoff exceeds the energy investment,
and since the second statement is the reason for the first statement,
you would fill in the CE oval.
4. T, F
(Do not fill in CE oval.) The first statement
is true—when a chemical reaction is at equilibrium, the rate of
the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction,
in which the reactants are formed. However, statement II is incorrect
and is a common misconception. The amount of reactant and product
remain constant at equilibrium but usually do not equal each other.
Since the second statement is false, you would not fill in the CE oval.
5. E
Two conditions must be met in order for a chemical
reaction to occur. First of all, the molecules must collide with
sufficient energy, and second, the molecules must collide with such
an orientation that the product bonds can be formed.
6. C
The addition of a catalyst lowers the activation energy,
thus speeding up a chemical reaction.
7. D
First, be on the lookout for pure liquids and pure
solids: These do not appear in equilibrium constant
expressions. C is a solid, so do not include it
in the expression. Second, remember that the expression is written
as the product of the products raised to the power of their coefficients over the
product of the reactants raised to the power of their coefficients.
Thus, the correct answer is
.
8. C
The reaction is reversed, so take the reciprocal of Kp,
and the coefficients in the balanced equation are halved, so you’ll
raise Kp to
the 
power, which is the same as finding the square
root of Kp.
The correct answer is 
9. D
Look through the statements carefully, one by one.
First, you know that the value of K depends on
the temperature of the system: if you change the temperature, the
value of K changes, so item I is correct. Next, K is
independent of the concentrations of the reactants or products,
so both items II and III are incorrect. K is dependent
on the nature of the products and reactants, however, so IV is correct.
10. E
This question combines two concepts. The reaction is
exothermic, so think of heat as a product. Increasing the temperature
has the same effect as increasing a product’s concentration, so
it causes a shift to the left, meaning statement I cannot be in
the answer choice. Decreasing the temperature (removing heat) would
have the same effect as removing a product (since the reaction is
exothermic), so this would cause a shift to the right, and II must
be in the correct answer choice. Finally, since all reactants and
products are in the gas phase, and there is a total of four moles
of gas on the left and a total of two moles of gas on the right,
increasing the pressure will push the reaction toward the side with
the fewest moles of gas. In this case, the side with the fewer moles
of gas is the products side, so this also causes a shift to the
right. III is also correct, and answer choice E is
correct.
